The goal is to raise awareness of heart disease and defects. February marks American Heart Month and the hats are part of a program through the American Heart Association.

Hundreds of volunteers from across the country make the hats and donate them to the Little Hats, Big Hearts program.

Doctors say congenital heart defects impact around one out of every 100 children. In the Milwaukee area, hospitals do 300-500 heart surgeries on children every year.

“With the most significant forms of critical congenital heart disease this can have quite a significant impact on the children and their families,” Pediatric and fetal cardiologist Dr. Scott Cameron said. “Some of these children will need multiple surgeries, cardiac catheterizations throughout their lives; some will be spending many months in the hospital.”